PRAY/ing

Praying

Mary Oliver

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Whatever it is you are doing right now take a moment to pause and to pay attention. Notice what is around you. Notice your body. Notice your breath. If you are in a safe place (meaning not driving, not walking a tight rope, etc.) you might consider closing your eyes. Taking a moment to pause and to just simply notice what's present is one of the most important things you will do all day. It's an opportunity for the quieter voice of your longing to be heard. The voice of your soul requires a different kind of listening, a listening that comes from becoming present and just simply paying attention.

What is your intention today? What are you wanting to create or inspire? Take a moment to listen. Then follow Mary Oliver's advice: patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate. Write it down in the simplist way you can. Or doodle it. Or cut a word out of a magazine. Post it on your desk, on your mirror, somewhere so you will see it and be reminded of it. Write it on your hand. Call a friend and confess it out loud. Or post it on facebook! Become accountable to your soul. Take one step toward your longing, toward whatever it is that makes you thrive no matter how small or humble that step is. Remember that the first step-- the most important step-- is just to simply listen.

This is what I wrote at the top of my journal this morning after my meditation. I re-wrote it on a small piece of red paper and taped it to the side of my computer (see pic above):

Keep your heart open and remain vulnerable.

This is the way to deeper happiness.

FUZZ/speech

Watch this 5 minute video. There’s nothing left to say. If this doesn’t motivate you to stretch and start practicing yoga I don’t know what will.

TURN/around

I was recently at Citizens Bank here in Boston to make a deposit. As I was waiting for the next available teller I noticed this sign:

Enter

Behind every

good citizen

is another

good citizen.

(Why not turn around and say hi?)

I was excited by this. How wonderful that a bank would ask you to turn around and introduce yourself to a stranger. It's the way I imagine the world to be. When the need for self-reliance and hyper-independence gets softened by the recognition that we all have a need for interconnection and a sense of community we have a greater sense of belonging. When our need for connection is met we feel happier, stronger, and more confident. It gives us support to thrive, to be more creative and to accomplish the things we want to do. It's important to recognize that we can't do it alone-- whatever "it" is. And it's empowering to turn around and make a connection. It's empowering because it makes us vulnerable, and it's our vulnerability that makes us brighter, more radiant, more available and more human.

I've made it my intention to interact with the world more. I've started greeting the person behind me in line with a friendly hello. I introduce myself with my first name and eye contact. I strick up a conversation with the person behind the counter. The truth is there hasn't been one instance since I've started doing this intentionally that I haven't been immediately greeted with a smile. In most cases the person I'm greeting brightens and interacts back.

The other day I was at the grocery store and I asked a woman where to find tahini. She immediately said, "I don't work here." I replied, "I know, but I thought maybe you might be able to help me. I've never been in this grocery store, and I feel a little lost." She smiled. She didn't know where it was either, but she took me to where she thought it might be. She asked me what I was going to make with it, and we started talking about our favorite foods. We found the tahini together. I walked away feeling lighter and happier, and I imagine that she did, too. I've thought about her several times since then remembering her face and her soft eyes. I've been back to that grocery store a couple of times since then and each time I wonder if I'll see her.

What I've noticed is that it's especially on the days that I feel grumpy and disconnected that I keep my head down and pull away from the world, and it's those exact moments when human connection is what I need the most-- even if it's just a moment of eye contact or a smile.

Be yourself. Smile. Make eye contact. Interact with the world.

TOO/old

Are you too old?

THINK AGAIN

If you're one of those people who uses the "I'm too old" excuse to get out of thriving and living life fully then it's time to let it go. You're never too old and it's never too late to reach out towards the things that bring you joy and enliven your spirit.

This granny is my inspiration!

Watch Video Now

JUST/breathe

I'm at a cafe in Harvard Square today working on my computer. I'm not really supposed to be in Harvard Square. I'm actually supposed to be at my therapy appointment, but for some reason the train not only by-passed my stop but skipped four stops finally coming to a halt at Harvard Square. The attendant asked everyone to get off the train and to wait for the next one. Technical difficulties. I was already running late, and I had already woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

I got to the top of the stairs of the train station, stepped out into the clear blue air and instinctually I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. I felt relief and took another deep breath, which actually made me smile. I noticed that my chest was tight and I wasn't breathing down into my belly. So. I went for a walk around Harvard Square consciously breathing. Within five minutes I felt better.

Practicing yoga on the mat is the warm up for life. All the principles that are learned while stretching, twisting, reaching, extending, lifting, opening and sweating are just ways in which we explore how to be more joyful, peaceful and content in our everyday lives especially when our lives get turned upside down.

Breathe! It's the very foundation any yoga practice. That's all it takes sometimes. A deep conscious inhale down into the belly and a long slow exhale can soften the stress we can sometimes feel in our lives. Try it. Right now take a deep breath in and as you exhale see if there is some part of you that can let go a little. Soften your face, relax your belly... even relax your teeth and allow your jaw to soften. Then take another deep breath. Notice what happens after each exhale.

You can breathe anywhere you go:

~before, during and after a work meeting

~before walking in the door when you get home

~before you make a phone call-- any phone call

~while you're waiting in line

~sitting at a red light

~driving

~anytime you think of it

I've posted some small breathe "buttons" on my website to print out and post to help you remember to breathe. Post around your home, in your office, on your steering wheel, etc.. And send this link to everyone who needs a reminder to breathe, which is basically everyone!

Click for BREATHE BUTTONS

SMALL/wonders

I just finished reading this extraordinary collection of essays by Barbara Kingsolver. These essays speak to the heart of what’s going on in the world. She isn’t afraid to challenge her readers to think outside of the culture norms and pigeonholes that keep us blind to the truth. She simultaneously writes with tender vulnerability and hope without shying away from the realities of living in the world today.

I encourage you to read this book allowing each essay to touch your heart and inspire you lto live more fully and consciously in the world.

YOGA/groove

The most common question I get is, “What is Yoga Groove?” I oftentimes joke saying, “It’s like a yoga rave without the drugs and alcohol,” but in reality Yoga Trance Dance is so much more than that.

Yoga Groove is a pathway to greater freedom in your body and in your life. It’s an invitation to explore the unlimited potential of movement and to transform yourself through rhythm, music and breath. The journey begins with the stillness of meditation to invoke reverence, gratitude and peace. It's from the still place that this experience unfolds, your spirit ignites and the ecstatic dance erupts. Yoga Groove awakens spontaneity and creativity, and opens the door to a deeper, more profound happiness that comes from fully inhabiting your body.

People have been dancing since the beginning of time. Our ancestors danced for every occasion. They danced to celebrate, to grieve, to worship; they danced for healing, for rain, for prosperity; they danced to express the unexplainable, the unspeakable and above all they danced to express the Great Mystery. Yoga Groove invites us back into the dance and into a greater connection with the larger, organic rhythms that we are unavoidably and undeniably a part of.

I am grateful for many teachers who have guided me on this pathway of discovery. I can’t write about Yoga Groove without talking about one of my greatest teachers, Shiva Rea, who created Yoga Trance Dance, and who transformed the way I practice yoga. You can learn more about her at www.shivarea.com